All Because of Fat Food
by Saccharo
Summary: Before, it was Lightning's worst fear to lose her beloved ones. Four years later, a new problem arises and it feels like the entire world is collapsing on her. Meet her worst enemy: getting fatter. It's worse enough that the fat food is being made by Hope!


**So I'm so sorry that I was unable to update! It's been a lot of months, huh? :)**

**I'm working on the next chapter for ****Dearly Beloved**** right now, but this one-shot is just a practice for me. I'm been starting to lose my writing skills after all these months.**

**Once again, I apologize and hope you enjoy this one-shot! XD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FFXIII or its characters.**

**…**

Everyone had fears—especially a very certain person. Snow was afraid of getting beaten up by that same person, Sazh losing his son, etc. Though she had made sure that her worst fear was to lose her beloved ones, she was faced with another one that rivaled it. And apparently… it's a weird problem.

To begin things off, it's been about four years since the fall of Cocoon. New Bodhum was still beautiful as ever and many things had changed during that time. Serah got pregnant (much to a certain person's annoyance), Snow only got more annoying (no surprise there), Sazh and Dajh are doing fine, and Hope… was now Lightning's boyfriend.

It was a problem back then, but it didn't bother Lightning anymore. Though Hope was still growing yet shorter than her by a few inches, they didn't mind a few kisses and such. It was a few months since they started going together and he seemed to cheer her up all the time.

But something happened once they had started dating…

One day, Lightning was sitting on her couch, her boyfriend sitting next to her. They were both watching a movie at her house, a bag of popcorn on Hope's lap. He scooted towards her, leaning his head against her shoulder, which she didn't mind. She placed a hand on his platinum locks, ruffling his hair.

"Getting tired?" She asked, the teenager's eyes starting to droop.

"Mph," he mumbled as he tried to get comfortable. Lightning scoffed before letting her gaze stare at the television. It was quiet with the exception of the movie's sounds. "Lightning…?"

"Hm?"

"Your body feels so good when it's so soft…" He whispered. Lightning cringed and looked away, biting her bottom lip.

"Uh… thanks…" This wasn't how she found out her strange problem. She had known this ever since she started dating Hope.

Another fear had replaced her former. It was no longer the fear to lose Serah or others, but something even worse…

**Gaining weight. **It felt like Cocoon all over again—only worse!

When Hope had retired for the night, Lightning had rushed to the bathroom to get changed. While preparing to sleep, she stared at the mirror and raised her shirt, pinching her belly. She could fit a small portion of… fat… between her fingers.

_Crap… _There is nothing else to describe this: she was starting to get fat.

This was the first time something like this had occurred. Her muscles, abs, everything that she had worked out on her body were starting to fade away. If this keeps going… she was going to be overweight and Hope wouldn't want to date her anymore. Imagine her as an oversized, overweight, big—

She grimaced and scratched her head with both hands, knowing that the only situation to stop gaining weight was to exercise. That was her living; she's part of the military and every day, she trained and worked out. But there was one crucial thing left out.

**Diet.**

Her eating habits weren't so bad until she dated Hope. Admittedly, he was a fantastic cook and she wasn't. His food was beyond words. But of course, every tasty food always has bad calories… and a lot of them.

She was getting fat thanks to Hope's cooking.

Lightning didn't want to disappoint him, but he does cook a little too much for her. The food he usually gives her was suitable to feed three or four people, but she still eats them. His most famous recipe would be his bento boxes—she has been eating them just about every day! Perhaps as long as she can exercise more than usual, she can be able to burn off all those terrible fat.

Another solution would be to ask him to cook less for her or maybe even better—don't cook for her at all. However, she felt that it would ruin their relationship and she didn't want to risk that.

She stared at the mirror, constantly chewing her bottom lip. She had known about this problem for about a month, but she hadn't given much thought about it until now. Of course, working in the military had given her the doubts of getting fatter, but yet…

Lightning groaned and grabbed her toothbrush, hesitating at her reflection before reaching for the toothpaste. She'll just have to exercise more than usual. Maybe during her free time, she could be able to jog around the neighborhood or somewhere.

**…**

"Good morning, there!" Lightning wiped off the sweat from her forehead and saw an elderly woman holding hands with a little boy. The morning was very merciful today; the sun's rays at a satisfying temperature and the breezes were adding in the mood. "You've been coming here a lot. Are you an athlete?"

"No. I'm just trying to keep fit," Lightning responded politely as she smiled at the toddler. He hesitated for a bit and it reminded her of a younger Hope.

"I see. Well—work hard!"

"Thanks." Lightning started jogging again. She was dressed in an exercising, red jacket and black sweats, her shoes covered with white running shoes. Ever since Hope had mentioned about her getting fat (indirectly), she had been coming down to Bodhum Park for about a week. She didn't mind seeing the same sceneries over again; she was more focused on getting the excess portions off.

She had been trying to see Hope less now in order to avoid eating his cooking. Lightning didn't want to hurt him, but she just didn't want him to see her… fat. She hoped that he wouldn't notice.

Once she had done jogging her four miles, she sat down on a nearby bench and drank her water bottle, panting. It was still morning and she was to meet Hope at the afternoon. She knew that she would have to eat his food, but she hoped that her exercise would be able to beat it off.

**…**

By the time Lightning had arrived at Hope's house (before, she took a quick shower and changed), she saw the dining table covered by a large bento box… as she expected. The teenager was waiting for her, sitting on the couch with a book on his lap. He smiled and dashed towards her, pecking her cheek.

"Good afternoon, Light!" He cheerfully said and received a smile from her.

"To you, too," she replied as she sat down, keeping her expression positive when she saw the oversized food. Hope sat down next to her, oblivious of her worst fear.

"I made this for you."

"Yeah, thank you," Lightning responded, but before she could grab her chopsticks, Hope had spoken.

"Light, Serah told me you were exercising a lot," Hope stated, making Lightning flinch for a moment. She looked at him and he was no longer smiling.

"Yeah."

"Why?" The dreaded question had been said by her boyfriend. "I mean—it's not a problem, but you're not… you know…"

Lightning paused for a moment, feeling her brain going crazy. She hadn't expected Hope to know, but she also didn't expect him to ask the question so soon. "It's just that… I was trying to build up stamina," she answered briskly. Hope didn't look convinced, so she smiled.

"Oh, okay," he responded. They were quiet until Lightning broke apart her chopsticks.

"I'm starved," she answered to distract him and plucked out a rice ball before placing it in her mouth, relishing the sweet taste. "It's delicious."

Hope was still for a while before he smiled. "Thanks." Lightning hoped that she hadn't disappointed him. While she was eating, Hope had stood up and went to the kitchen. She glanced at him, but ignored it as she continued eating. This lunch was good enough; she should be able to counter it thanks to her exercise.

She looked up when she heard Hope come back, only seeing another… bento box…

She held her gasp and stared at it. "Uh… is that for you…?"

"No you silly!" Hope chuckled and placed it on the table. "It's for you!"

Lightning felt her heart sinking as she continued staring at it; she was glad that a fried chicken was in her mouth or else Hope would've seen her dreadful expression. "Oh…"

"You must be tired from exercising, so I made extras just in case!" Hope continued, sitting down again. "You don't have to eat it right now; you can take it home."

"Uh…" Lightning swallowed her food and was lost in thought. Everything would be wasted if she eats another meal! But the anticipated look on Hope was beating her up. The nightmare of getting fatter was getting closer…

She placed a fake smile on her face. "Really? I love it." Hope's eyes widened and he grinned back.

"I'll… I'll make a lot for you, okay?" He exclaimed proudly. Lightning kept her smirk, but her eyes were still on the extra bento box she would have to eat later. She just hoped that the food wouldn't affect her weight.

**…**

How wrong she was.

Whenever she had leisure time, she would focus on exercising to burn off all the stupid calories. Unfortunately, whenever she had to meet Hope, he would bring "energy" bento boxes so that she wouldn't get tired… which went terribly wrong. All her burned fat had been revived during their meets, but she didn't want to say this to Hope. It had been going on for about two weeks and she hadn't dared to check her weight.

She eventually gave in and, during the night, went on the weight scale. She waited for it to process and when the results came in… she gasped. Hell—it felt like her jaw had hit the ground!

Indeed… she had gotten _heavier_…

Lightning gritted her teeth and couldn't help but chuckle a bit despite the bad situation. _Crap… you've got to be kidding me… _There goes the diet plan.

She groaned and cursed, knowing that she would have no other solution but to tell Hope the truth. Yes—the truth that she was getting fatter thanks to him! She would have to tell him tomorrow…

**…**

Hope arrived at the afternoon at Lightning's house. When she opened the door, much to her surprise (and perhaps horror), Hope wasn't holding anything—not even the expected bento box. There was a miserable expression on his face and it concerned her.

"H-Hope—is there something wrong?" Lightning panicked and let Hope in. She lead him to the couch and they both sat on the soft furniture, their weight sinking in (Lightning's weight sank in more, much to her horror). Hope looked at her for a moment before sighing.

"I… I've been wondering about you exercising…" He said simply, looking down afterwards. Lightning hesitated; she hadn't had this subject since two weeks ago.

"I'm… I'm just trying to build up stamina…" She answered quickly.

"Is it… because of the food that I made? The bento?" Hope asked, startling her. She stared at him in horror before grabbing his shoulders, forcing him to look at her.

"W-Who told you that? How did you… I mean…?" Lightning stumbled in her words. Hope's eyes flicked back and forth at her, his frown still on his face.

"I… I made them a lot for not you, but for my Dad and he…" Hope paused before speaking again. "He told me today that he couldn't finish it all. I've been making food for him for a long time and in big portions, too. Light, is your exercising… because of my food?"

Lightning was silent and if she tried to talk, she knew that she would only make it worse. Hope was also quiet, looking away. The atmosphere was dead for a long while.

"Hope—" She tried to speak.

"I… I didn't mean to make you… fat…" Hope whispered and he stared at her with big, emerald eyes. "Why didn't you tell me? I… I would've stopped and… and…"

"Stop it," she said sternly and Hope obliged. She stared at him for a moment and she couldn't help but realize that she was making a big mistake. It made her want to laugh, but she covered it with a small smirk. "You know what? I just found out today that I really don't mind. I'm seriously not bothered by it."

Hope was surprised at this and his lip quavered for a moment. "B-But—are you sure? I mean—I don't have to—"

"Seriously Hope—chill out. I'm really not bothered by it. Really," Lightning reassured and she placed an arm around his waist, pulling him closer to her. Hope looked up at her with hesitation, still not convinced. "I do like exercising; it's actually a lot refreshing. But what I love more is your food, especially the bento. Above all… I love the person that I'm holding now. He's more important than losing weight."

"But Lightning—" Before Hope could continue, Lightning planted a quick kiss on his forehead, startling him.

"I really don't care if I get fat. I'm dead serious," Lightning continued and she chuckled afterwards. "Well… I'm a little bothered by getting fat, but I still want to eat your cooking no matter what."

"Are you… sure?" Hope asked, sounding a bit more confident. "It's just that…"

"Positively. Don't stop cooking, okay?" Lightning's eyes landed on his ear and bit on it, tugging it for a bit before releasing it. Hope gasped at this and glared at her playfully.

"Hey—no fair!"

"What?" Lightning teased back and allowed Hope to retaliate. He leaned forward and pecked her cheek before aiming for her lips. She smirked and mirrored him. Hope leaned forward until Lightning was on her back on the couch, with her boyfriend on top of her. Their lips were locked, their tongues fighting against one another. Obviously, being the stronger one, Lightning had won and her wet muscle went in his warm cavern, relishing the taste. Hope moaned and backed away after a while, drool coming down from the corner of his lip.

"Are you… sure…?" Hope was still bringing the subject. He placed a hand on her stomach and pinched it, much to Lightning's shock.

"Hey—that hurts!"

"You are a bit… you know…" Hope whispered, still looking guilty. Lightning scoffed before bringing him down to her lips, holding him for a long moment and released him.

"Like I said, I seriously don't care," Lightning reassured again and sat up, Hope still on her lap.

"Lightning—only I can do that!"

"Not anymore," she smirked and hugged him tightly, her face in front of his neck. She sucked on his pulse, receiving a whine from him. She watched as Hope struggled to keep his expression still, his hands tightening their grip on her shoulders. She teasingly bit his shoulder blade and he moaned out loud.

"Why are you… being so—"

"This is your contribution for the bento, got it?" Lightning announced as she felt Hope kiss her forehead and to her ear, nibbling on it for a bit. She bit her bottom lip in an attempt to stifle her pleasure as Hope bit on it and pulled it, mimicking her earlier moves. Speaking of the bento… "By the way, why didn't you make any for me today? I didn't eat anything since I thought you would bring it."

"I… I was worried about you…" Hope whispered and she finally got to have a closer, full view of his face. "Was it a mistake?"

She chuckled. "Thinking what I looked like was a mistake." She placed her lips on his, letting her tongue slip through for a moment. "Don't worry about it."

"I… I really don't care about how you would look, too," Hope added in gingerly, smiling. "But just try not to get fat."

"So does that mean take out?"

"I call for pizza," Hope decided, only receiving a groan from Lightning.

"Hope—why pizza again?" He chuckled and kissed her on the forehead, his emerald eyes shining with amusement.

"I'm happy when you're annoyed."

"And you think I'm happy all because of fat food?"

The answer didn't need to be spoken.

**…**

**There will be a partner one-shot to this, only involving Hope and something else! Once again, sorry for the late update and look for the next chapter for ****Dearly Beloved****!**


End file.
